This basic overview of the Dewey Decimal System is used to train Library staff and volunteers. It details why libraries use Dewey and similar systems and explains how the system is organized.

1. 025.431:
Libraries & Dewey
Decimal Classification
Presented by Matthew “Buzzy” Nielsen This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United
Assistant Library Director, North Bend Public Library States License (http://www.creativecommons.org)

2. You’ve got some books
Image source:
"Pile of Books in the Prague Library," callumscott2 on Flickr

3. But let’s not be biblio-centric
Image sources:
"All of my DVDs," nickstone333 on Flickr
" A few CDs," Spushnik on Flickr

4. YOUR TASK:
How do you organize these
materials so people can find them?

5. Color?
Image source:
“bookshelf," chotda on Flickr

6. Size?
Image source:
Library of Congress

7. Publication date?
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999

8. Title?

9. Author?
Fiction
Nonfiction

10. Subject

11. How libraries are really organized
(Presentations)
Subject
(Reynolds, Garr)
Author
(Presentation zen)
Title

12. How libraries are really organized
(Presentations)
Subject
(Reynolds, Garr)
Author
(Presentation zen)
Title
(Practical sciences)
General
(Business)
Specific
(Presentations)
Really specific

13. A tale of two classifications
Dewey Decimal Library of Congress
classification (DDC) classification (LC)

14. Okay, four
Dewey Decimal Library of Congress
classification (DDC) classification (LC)
Book Industry Standards Open Shelves
& Communication (BISAC) Classification (OSC)

15. The esteemed Mr. Dewey
• Invented the Dewey Decimal
System when he was 21
• Helped found the American
Library Association
• Created the first library school
at Columbia College

16. How Dewey Works
Knowledge is
divided into 10
subjects

17. How Dewey Works
General
History & Philosophy &
Geography Psychology
Literature Religion
Knowledge is
divided into 10
Social
Arts subjects Sciences
Applied Languages
Sciences
Natural
Sciences

18. How Dewey Works
000s
900s 100s
800s 200s
Those subjects
are assigned
700s numbers 300s
600s 400s
500s

19. How Dewey Works
020s
Libraries
950s 170s
African history Ethics
880s And more specific 260s
Greek Lit Theology
subjects are given
750s 330s
Painting more specific Economics
610s numbers 440s
Medicine French languages
590s
Zoology

20. Why numbers?
000 Generalities
1. Numbers have a 100 Philosophy & Psychology
clear order. 200 Religion
300 Social Sciences
Easy to 400 Language
organize 500 Natural Sciences
600 Technology
700 The Arts
800 Literature
900 Geography & History

21. Why numbers?
000 Generalities
1. Numbers have a 100 Philosophy & Psychology
clear order. 200 Religion
300 Social Sciences
2. Numbers can reflect 400 Language
500 Natural Sciences
if a subject is more 600 Technology
general or specific. 700 The Arts
• 750 Painting
more specific • 759 History of
painting
even more specific 800 Literature
900 Geography & History

22. Why numbers?
000 Generalities
1. Numbers have a 100 Philosophy & Psychology
clear order. 200 Religion
300 Social Sciences
2. Numbers can reflect 400 Language
500 Natural Sciences
if a subject is more • 590 Zoology
general or specific. • 597 Fishes
• 598 Birds
3. Numbers reflect • 599 Mammals
600 Technology
groupings 700 The Arts
effectively 800 Literature
900 Geography & History
animal groups

23. From general to specific
000 Generalities 700 The Arts
100 Philosophy & 710 Landscaping & area
Psychology planning
200 Religion 720 Architecture
300 Social Sciences 730 Sculpture
400 Language 740 Drawing & decorative arts
500 Natural Sciences 750 Painting
600 Technology 760 Graphic arts
700 The Arts 770 Photography
800 Literature 780 Music
900 Geography & History 790 Sports, games &
entertainment

24. To even more specific
700 The Arts 780 Music
710 Landscaping & area planning 781 General principles
720 Architecture 782 Vocal music
730 Sculpture 783 Music for single voices
740 Drawing & decorative arts 784 Instruments & ensembles
750 Painting 785 Ensembles with one
760 Graphic arts instrument per part
770 Photography 786 Keyboards & percussion
780 Music 787 Strings
790 Sports, games & 788 Wind instruments
entertainment

25. Groupings
Groupings can be by 400 Languages
• 420 English
Dewey area. • 430 German
• 440 French

26. Groupings
Groupings can be by 400 Languages
• 420 English
Dewey area. • 430 German
• 440 French
Groupings can be by Biography
topic within several • 921 – General
• 979.5092 – Oregon
Dewey areas. • 530.092 – Physics
Dictionaries
• 423 – English
• 570.3 - Biological
• 610.3 – Medical

27. Quick Dewey Test
1. In what order should 979.5/ORE
these books be 557.95/STE
shelved?
2. Which books are in 349.795/HIT
the same Dewey 667.7/YOU
subject area? 551.302/ALT
3. Which books are in 811/ANG
different areas but
have the same focus? 811/LON
551.31/BRO

28. Quick Dewey Answers
1. In what order should 349.795/HIT
these books be 551.302/ALT
shelved?
2. Which books are in 551.31/BRO
the same Dewey 557.95/STE
subject area? 667.7/YOU
3. Which books are in 811/ANG
different areas but
have the same focus? 811/LON
979.5/ORE

29. Quick Dewey Answers
1. In what order should 349.795/HIT
these books be 551.302/ALT
shelved?
2. Which books are in 551.31/BRO
the same Dewey 557.95/STE
subject area? 667.7/YOU
3. Which books are in 811/ANG
different areas but
have the same focus? 811/LON
979.5/ORE

30. Quick Dewey Answers
1. In what order should 349.795/HIT
these books be 551.302/ALT
shelved?
2. Which books are in 551.31/BRO
the same Dewey 557.95/STE
subject area? 667.7/YOU
3. Which books are in 811/ANG
different areas but
have the same focus? 811/LON
979.5/ORE

31. Dewey Hierarchy Review
Dewey numbers have a clear order.
• 300 Social Sciences
• 400s Languages
• 500s Natural Sciences

32. Dewey Hierarchy Review
Dewey numbers have a clear order.
• 300 Social Sciences
• 400s Languages
• 500s Natural Sciences
More specific subjects get more specific numbers.
• 781.7 Sacred Music
• 781.71 Christian Sacred Music
• 781.7161 Baptist Sacred Music

33. Dewey Hierarchy Review
Dewey numbers have a clear order.
• 300 Social Sciences
• 400s Languages
• 500s Natural Sciences
More specific subjects get more specific numbers.
• 781.7 Sacred Music
• 781.71 Christian Sacred Music
• 781.7161 Baptist Sacred Music
Topics are grouped using numbers.
• 160 Logic • 349.795 Oregon Law
• 170 Ethics • 557.95 Oregon Geology
• 180 Ancient Philosophy • 979.5 Oregon History

34. Dewey Areas
000s: General works 500s: Natural sciences
100s: Psychology & 600s: Technology,
philosophy applied sciences
200s: Religion 700s: Arts
300s: Social sciences
800s: Literature
400s: Language
900s: History, geography
& biography

35. 000s: General works & info systems
000: Generalities 050: Magazines,
(Info systems) journals, & serials
010: Bibliographies 060: Organizations &
museums
020: Library &
070: Journalism
information sciences
080: Quotations
030: Encyclopedias, etc.
090: Manuscripts & rare
040: Not used Books

36. 100s: Psychology & philosophy
100: Philosophy 150: Psychology
110: Metaphysics 160: Logic
120: Epistemology 170: Ethics
130: Occultism, 180: Ancient, medieval,
parapsychology Eastern philosophy
140: Philosophical 190: Modern western
schools of thought philosophy

37. 200s: Religion
200: Religion 250: Churches &
210: Philosophy & theory Religious orders
of religion 260: Social theology
220: The Bible 270: History of
230: Christian theology Christianity
240: Christian Practice 280: Christian
denominations
290: Other religions

38. 300s: Social sciences
300: Social Sciences, 350: Public
sociology & administration
anthropology 360: Social problems &
310: Statistics services
320: Political science 370: Education
330: Economics 380: Commerce &
340: Law Industry
390: Customs & Folklore

39. 400s: Language
400: Language 450: Italian & related
410: Linguistics languages
420: English & Old 460: Portuguese &
English Spanish languages
430: German & related 470: Latin languages
languages 480: Classical Greek
440: French & related languages
languages 490: Other languages

40. 500s: Natural sciences
500: Natural sciences 550: Earth sciences &
510: Mathematics geology
560: Fossils & prehistoric
520: Astronomy life
530: Physics 570: Life sciences,
540: Chemistry biology
580: Plants (botany)
590: Animals (zoology)

41. 600s: Technology & applied sciences
600: Technology 650: Management
610: Medicine & health 660: Chemical
620: Engineering engineering
630: Agriculture 670: Manufacturing
640: Home & family 680: Misc.
economics manufacturing
690: Building &
construction

42. 700s: Arts & recreation
700: Arts 750: Painting
710: Landscaping 760: Graphic arts
720: Architecture 770: Photography &
730: Sculpture, ceramics, computer art
& metals 780: Music
740: Drawing & 790: Sports, games, &
decorative arts entertainment

43. 800s: Literature
800: Literature, rhetoric, 850: Italian literature
& criticism 860: Spanish literature
810: American literature 870: Latin literature
820: English literature 880: Ancient Greek
830: German literature literature
840: French literature 890: Other literature

44. 900s: History, geography, & biography
900: History 950: Asian history
910: Geography & travel 960: African history
920: Biography & 970: North American
genealogy history
930: Ancient history
980: South American
940: European history history
990: History of other
areas

45. Quick Dewey Test
In which Dewey subject area
do these titles belong?
Economics in plain English
The plays and sonnets of William Shakespeare
The story of thought
Keep your car running practically forever
The atlas of the solar system
Teach yourself visually Windows XP

46. Quick Dewey Test
In which Dewey subject area
do these titles belong?
330s
820s
190s
620s
520s
000s

47. Dewey isn’t perfect!?
Dewey Decimal “Problems”
1. Subjects can be found in multiple Dewey areas.
2. Dewey places fiction books in the 800s, divided
by country and date.
3. Dewey places biographies in the area of the
subject’s profession.

48. Same subject . . . in three sections?
Problem: The same
subject can be found
in multiple Dewey
subject areas
Gardening
580 635 712.6
Botany Gardening Landscaping
Solution: use the
library catalog or
ask a librarian

49. Fiction . . . by when it was written?
Problem: Dewey 813.3 – Nathaniel Hawthorne
813.54 – Danielle Steel
shelves fiction by the
813.6 – Alexander McCall Smith
author’s nationality
823.8 – Charles Dickens
and time period.
820.92 – J.K. Rowling
863.44 – Isabel Allende
891.733 – Fyodor Dostoevsky

50. Fiction books . . . by creation date?
Problem: Dewey FIC/ALL – Isabel Allende
FIC/DIC – Charles Dickens
shelves fiction by the
FIC/DOS – Fyodor Dostoevsky
author’s nationality
FIC/HAW – Nathaniel Hawthorne
and time period.
FIC/MCC – Alexander McCall Smith
FIC/ROW – J.K. Rowling
Solution: File all fiction FIC/STE – Danielle Steel
by Author, together in
one section.

51. Biographies . . . by profession?
180 – Socrates Problem: Dewey
270.6 – Martin Luther shelves bios by the
323 - Martin Luther King, Jr. subject’s profession.
530 – Albert Einstein
759.13 – Andy Warhol
973.46 – Thomas Jefferson

52. Biographies . . . by profession?
921/EIN – Albert Einstein Problem: Dewey
921/JEF – Thomas Jefferson shelves bios by the
921/KIN - Martin Luther King, Jr. subject’s profession.
921/LUT – Martin Luther
921/SOC – Socrates
921/WAR – Andy Warhol Solution: Shelve all
bios by subject then by
author, together in one
section.
• Common areas:
92, 921, B

53. The result?
Image source:
"seattle library stacks," oceandesetoiles on Flickr

54. But you’re still needed.

55. You help connect people
with the information they need
Image source:
"IKBLC interior 8," UBC Library Graphics on Flickr

56. Hopefully, you can do it better now.
Thank you.
This presentation is available on SlideShare:
http://www.slideshare.net/remnil/025431